David Grossman, playing in an Open event, and Bill Ferguson, playing in an Amateur event, were the ‘official’ winners of the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour’s latest double stop event on the weekend of August 4-5. Both of them split the top two prizes with their respective runner-ups – Anthony Garza in the Open event and Clint Nichols in the Amateur event. The $700-added events ($500 for the Open and $200 for the Amateur) drew 34 (Open) and 30 (Amateur) entrants to Park Avenue Billiards in Orange Park, FL.
Grossman, in the Open event, faced separate opponents in the hot seat and (unplayed) finals. He advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Anthony Meglino and sent him to the loss side 7-3, from which he would return to challenge Grossman in a final that didn’t happen. Bobby Garza downed Billy Burke 7-5 in the other winners’ side semifinal and faced Grossman in the hot seat match. Grossman sent Garza off to the semifinals and sat in the hot seat, awaiting what turned out to be a split with Meglino.
On the loss side, Meglino opened his loss side trek against Mike Delawder, who’d defeated Marcus Murillo 7-3 and Scott Rohleder 7-4 to reach him. Burke picked up Tommy Kennedy, who’d gotten by Clint Nichols (who’d show up as runner-up in the Amateur event) 7-3 and James Sandaler 7-2. Meglino and Burke advanced to the quarterfinals; Meglino, double hill, over Delawder and Burke, 7-2 over Kennedy.
Meglino downed Burke 7-2 in the quarterfinals and completed his loss-side run with a double hill win over Garza in the semifinals. The split was arranged, and Grossman became the official event winner. The event's top junior player was awarded $40.
Bill Ferguson and Clint Nichols battled once for the Amateur title. In the hot seat match, as it turned out. Ferguson had downed Bobby Hicks, double hill, in one of the winners’ side semifinals, while Nichols was busy sending Chuck White to the loss side 7-5. In their one and only match, Ferguson defeated Nichols 7-4 and claimed the hot seat.
On the loss side, Hicks picked up Matthew Wilson, who’d gotten by Thomas White 5-1 and Bobby Garza, double hill. Chuck White drew Wes Hammam, who’d defeated Jack Smith 5-2 and James Sandaler 5-3 to reach him.
Hicks downed Wilson 5-2 and in the quarterfinals, matched up with Hammam, who’d sent White to the figurative showers 5-1. Hammam then downed Hicks, double hill in the quarterfinals, before he was eliminated by Nichols 5-2 in the semifinals. Nichols and Ferguson agreed on the split, leaving Ferguson as the official winner. The Amateur event awarded $40 to its top junior, Trenton White.
Tour directors Janene Phillips and Bobby Garza thanked the ownership and staff at Park Ave Billiards, as well as sponsors Cyclop, Kamui, Play the Game Clothing Co., Predator, Jacksonville Roofing and AZBilliards. The next stop on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour, scheduled for September 1-2 will be another double event (9-Ball Amateur, 10-Ball Open), hosted by K & K Billiards in Miami.
James Adams finished 2014 with a third place finish in the Florida State Amateur 9-Ball Championships in December, at Zingale's in Tallahassee, FL. Sent to the loss side by the eventual winner, Jeff Abernathy, he made it back to the semifinals, before Justin Gilsinan denied him a second shot at Abernathy.
Two months later, at Stroker's in Palm Harbor, Adams got into the hot seat of the Florida Pool Tour's 2015 season opener. Jason Sheerman, though, capping a 10-match, loss-side run, defeated him in the finals. That same weekend, Adams signed on to a concurrently-run Super 16 Open event, and for the second time, found himself in the hot seat match. Tommy Kennedy sent him to the semifinals, where in a double hill match, he defeated Raymond Linares for a second shot at Kennedy. At 6-6, Kennedy pulled ahead to hand Adams his second straight runner-up finish.
"Failure," he told Billiards Digest in an interview a short time later, "is part of the process of success."
Eight months later, on the weekend of October 24-25, back at Zingale's, which was hosting the $4,000-added, 2015 Florida State Amateur 9-Ball Championships for the fourth time, Adams put it all together and proved the point. He went undefeated through a field of 89, winning his first title, and completing that long trip on the short 3rd-2nd-2nd-1st ladder.
For the third time in just under a year, Adams made it to the hot seat match. He sent Dennis Strickland to the loss side 7-4 in a winners' side semifinal, as Mike Delawder sent Brandon Beatty over 7-3 in the other one. Adams claimed the hot seat 7-4 over Delawder and waited on the return of Kyle Bova, whom he'd defeated once already in a winners' side quarterfinal.
On the loss side, Bova defeated Bobby Hicks and J.R. Rossman, both 6-4, to draw Beatty. Strickland picked up Stephen Richmond, who'd gotten by Jose Del Rio 7-3 and Lee Sanders 6-5. Bova and Richmond advanced to the quarterfinals, both 6-4, over Rossman and Sanders.
Bova earned a second shot at Adams in the hot seat with two more 6-4 wins; over Richmond in the quarterfinals, and Delawder in the semifinals. Adams, though, defeated Bova a second time, 9-6 in the finals, to claim the 2015 Florida State Amateur 9-Ball Championship title.
In a $1,000-added, 54-entrant Second Chance tournament, Derek Fowler defeated David Uwate (13th in the main event) in the finals. Nathan Rose finished third, and Michael Laney finished fourth.
In about three weeks (November 21-22), Capone's in Spring Hill, FL will host the $5,000-added (with full field of 32) Super 32 Open 10-Ball Championships. Two months later (January 16-17, 2016), The Florida Pool Tour will be back at Zingale's for the $5,000-added Florida State Open 10-Ball event.
Rob Melrose, Nick Applebee and Bobby Hicks opted out of the semifinal and final matches on the Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tournament on Sunday, May 10, and split the top three prizes. As the undefeated hot seat occupant, Melrose claimed the $1,000-added Tiger Greater Orange Park Classic title which had drawn 26 entrants to Park Ave. Billiards in Orange Park, FL.
It was Melrose and Applebee who locked horns in the hot seat match (Applebee is tour director for the Shark Billiards Tour, which had completed a stop the day before). Melrose had sent Dennis Fowler west 7-4, as Applebee was busy defeating Sean Mitchell 7-5. Melrose played what proved to be his last match and defeated Applebee 7-4.
Mitchell and Fowler moved to the loss side and were eliminated immediately. Anthony Meglino, who'd defeated David Byler and William C, both 7-3, ousted Mitchell 7-5. Bobby Hicks, who'd survived a double hill match versus Will Carver and defeated Bobby Garza 7-5, shut Fowler out.
Hicks then chalked up the event's final win with a 7-5 victory over Meglino in the quarterfinals. The remaining three chose not to proceed and split the top three prizes.
Though challenged by Jared McGee, who won five straight on the loss side and then, the opening set of a true double elimination final, Wendell Thompkins came back to win the second set, and for the first time, take home top honors at a stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. The $1,500-added event drew 60 entrants to Shore Thing Bar & Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC, on the weekend of March 10-11.
From among the winners’ side final four, Thompkins met up with Phillip Britt, who’d just sent McGee to the loss side. Joining them in the winners’ side semifinals were Larry Jackson and Bobby Hicks. Thompkins defeated Britt 9-6, and faced Jackson, who’d downed Hicks 9-3. Thompkins got into the hot seat with a 9-4 win over Jackson and waited for McGee.
It was Hicks drawing McGee on the loss side; McGee having opened his loss-side campaign with victories over William Foster 10-5 and Clint Clark 10-8. Britt picked up Chase Gilbert, who’d gotten by Nick Van Allen, double hill, and Brian Capps 7-7 (Capps, a double-A, had to reach 10). Hicks and Britt both fell in their first loss-side match; Hicks to McGee 10-1 and Britt to Gilbert 7-5, thus denying McGee a re-match opportunity versus Britt. McGee took the quarterfinal match that followed against Gilbert 10-5.
McGee ended Jackson’s semifinal bid for a re-match against Thompkins, defeating him 10-8. McGee then took the opening set of the true double elimination finals 10-6. Thompkins, though, came back to take the second set 9-8 to chalk up his first event win on the Great Southern Billiard Tour.
Tour directors Shannon and Marge Daulton thanked Brent and Ann Hudgins for hosting the event, as well as sponsors Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Mike Davis Exterminating, Tiger Products and Delta-13 racks. Next stop on the GSBT is a $1,500-added, bar table tournament scheduled for March 17-18 at Raisin’ Cain’s in Inman, SC.
The Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour stopped at Park Avenue Billiards in Orange Park, Florida this weekend where tour director, Tommy Kennedy had his hands full with local player Bobby Hicks. Hick took Kennedy to the hill in the winners side finals before Kennedy was able to send him to the one loss side. After Hicks sent David Howard home with third place, he came back and took Kennedy to the hill again in the finals but this time it was Hicks getting the case game and forcing a final match in the double elimination finals. Kennedy would not allow the final match to get close though as he cruised to a 9-4 win for first place.
Kennedy collected $750 for first while Hicks took $600 for second. Howard and Roger Acres filled out the top 4 positions.
